At least three officials of the Kano State Road Traffic Agency, popularly known as KAROTA, were hospitalised after they were attacked by a mob following a road crash involving a commercial bus and a trailer in Kano.
The agency’s Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Sharada, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to The Punch on Thursday.
According to the statement, the accident occurred on Wednesday at Kwanar Dawaki along Zaria Road after a Sharon commercial bus was stopped by KAROTA officials for a routine inspection.
The statement read, “The second-in-command of the KAROTA patrol team on Zaria Road, Ibrahim Ibrahim, said the Sharon commercial bus was stopped by the team for a routine check when, suddenly, the truck driver, who was speeding, rammed into the passenger bus, which somersaulted several times, as a result of which many passengers sustained serious injuries.
“When they saw how some of the passengers were injured, the group (youths) launched an attack on the KAROTA personnel, inflicting serious injuries on them.”
Sharada added that the trailer driver fled the scene as attention shifted to rescuing the injured passengers and the wounded KAROTA personnel.
Reacting to the incident, KAROTA Managing Director, Faisal Kabir, appealed to residents to support and respect traffic officials carrying out their lawful duties.
He stressed that road traffic personnel should be seen as government representatives working to maintain order and safety on the highways rather than as adversaries.
Kabir also commended the affected officials and other members of the agency for their dedication and commitment to duty despite the challenges they face.
The incident comes amid recurring complaints by motorists over the activities of KAROTA personnel, particularly the frequent roadblocks mounted on major routes across Kano metropolis and surrounding areas.
Some commercial drivers have accused officials of extorting motorists at checkpoints on major highways, including Maiduguri, Hadejia, Gwarzo, Zaria and Katsina roads, which connect Kano with neighbouring states.
